Swing seat and bracket and method of assembling same



July 12, 1966 B. L. WHITE ETAL 3,260,522

SWING SEAT AND BRACKET AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING SAME Filed Jan. 29, 1964 INVENTOR 6 I 055/5 L. WHITE HAROLD A. HOWELL %z/ d M ATTORNEYS IOO United States Patent 3,260,522 SWING SEAT AND BRACKET AND METHOD ()F ASSEMBLING SAME Bobbie L. White, Shreveport, and Harold A. Rowell, Bossier City, La., assignors t0 Gym Dandy, Inc., a corporation of Louisiana Filed Jan. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 340,895 5 Claims. (Cl. 272-85) The present invention relates to play equipment and more specifically to the provision of novel one-piece support brackets for play yard swing seats and like equipment.

In the past it has been the custom to mount play equipment seats by nut-fastened support brackets made of metal rod having threaded terminal ends. Such prior art three-piece support brackets have, from time to time, caused severe injury to child-users, when the nuts have worked loose over a period of time, resulting in the seat and bracket becoming separated during use. Even when the nuts at the threaded ends of such prior art support brackets remain in fixed assembled position, rust deterioration of the threaded connection inherently shortens useful life of the bracket and may cause the bracket to become sufiiciently weakened so as to permit structural separation of the seat and bracket under weight of the user resulting in injury due to falling. Additionally, conventional three-piece support brackets, i.e., the rod with threaded ends and the two securing nuts, form a significant portion of production and assembly costs and ultimate sales prices of play equipment due to the requirement of separate manufacture and packaging of the three pieces. Furthermore, tools of prescribed size must be provided by the home user to assemble such prior art nut-fastened support brackets with the desired seat and play equipment, often resulting in delay, inconvenience, and aggravation on the part of the assembler.

After a period of use, dismantlement is often impossible without destruction of some or all of the bracket parts, even when the home user has the requisite tool, duev to rust-freezing between the nuts and the threaded ends of the bracket rod.

Conventional play equipment seats and support bracket combinations heretofore have cooperated together, where used by children in twisting or transverse motion, by transferring the loads imposed on the bracket to the seat entirely along the walls of the seat apertures receiving the bracket rod, resulting in enlargement of the apertures, often producing separation between the seat and bracket, and in any event permitting substantial tilt or relative movement between the seat and bracket during such periods of use, significantly reducing the safe useful life of the combination.

It, accordingly, is a primary object of this invention to provide a novel one-piece non-tilt play equipment seat support bracket having improved safety features, extended useful life, significantly reduced manufacturing, packaging and shipping costs, and surprising ease in assembly and disassembly of the seat and support brackets.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a novel seat structure and seat support bracket assembly which substantially obviates the possibility of dismantlement by curious children and yet does not require separate fastening means, such as nuts or the like, or tools in assembly and disassembly.

A further object is the provision of a novel method of assembly, in seratim, of a play seat structure, seat support brackets and play equipment suspension means, such as cables or chains, permitting the homeowner to easily assemble and disassemble the seat structure and support brackets on new or used playground equipment 3,260,522 Patented July 12, 1966 without the need of any tools whatsoever and which, when once assembled, effects an assembly which is tamper proof so far as child users are concerned.

Still further objects will appear from the following description and appended claims when read in conjunc-- tion with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partial bottom perspective view of a play equipment seat which may be used in novel combination with the support brackets of the present invention, illustrating the seats web reinforcement substructure and bracket supporting boss construction;

FIGURE 2 is a partial bottom plan view particularly illustrating the boss attachment construction and associated reinforcement substructure of the seat of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2 further illustrating the boss attachment construction and associated reinforcement substructure and also showing both threaded-end and the improved deformed-end support brackets of this invention when installed;

FIGURE 4 is a series of schematic views identified as A, B, C, and D illustrating the preferred mode of installation of the improved deformed-end support brackets of FIGURE 3 into the boss attachment construction of the embodiment of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is an elevation independently illustrating the improved deformed-end support bracket of FIGURES 3 and 4.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGURES 1 through 5. Self-reinforcing seat 10, adaptable to be combined with a swing set or the like having ground engaging supporting members and suspension members such as rods, cables or chains, is preferably of plastic material as shown, but may also be appropriately constructed of wood, metal or like material. The type of plastic seat preferred is described in greater detail in copending application Serial No. 353,928 filed on March 23, 1964, to which reference may be made.

Seat 10 includes supporting member or area 12, adapted to carry a child when utilized as a component part in play equipment. Member or area 12, when in the normal operating position of FIGURE 3, is contoured to be slightly downwardly arcuately shaped or concave in the longitudinal direction and slightly upwardly arcuately shaped or convex in the lateral direction (FIGURE 3). This shape assures against sliding of the user relative to the seat and a close mating contoured fit between the seat upperside face and the users buttocks to militate against unseating slippage forwardly or rearwardly of the sea, particularly when the user is being pushed. A slightly roughened granular-like texture 114 is molded into the upper face of supporting member 12, which enhances the gripping characteristics of supporting member 12, thus minimizing many serious falls and injuries to children consequential of slippage, particularly of standee users. As a further safety feature, spaced tapered apertures 20 are provided theseby adding to the nonslip characteristics of supporting member 12.

The front and back sides 26 and 28 of seat 10 are delimited by strength providing downwardly extending flanges 46 and 48 which are divergent-convergent to each other in a direction longitudinal of seat 10 so that the distance separating flanges 46 and 48 is greatest at midpoint 34. Ends 30 and 32 are delimited by strength providing flanges and 152 which extend from supporting member 12 at approximately right angles, are of substantially uniform depth dimension and are sinuously shaped so as to be separated by a lesser distance'intermediate sides 26 and 28 than adjacent sides 26 and 28, forming a double-reverse curve composed of outward curves 36 and 38 and inward curves 48 (FIGURES 1 and 2). Flanges 46 and 48 are substantially perpendicular to supporting member 12 and are uniformly tapered in lateral dimension between end flanges 150 and 152 to a maximum at mid-point 54 (FIGURE 1).

Supporting member 12 of seat is rendered selfreinforcing against torsional and bending loads by substructure reinf o-rcement 160, best illustrated in FIGURE 1.

Thesubstructu're reinforcement 160 of seat 10, as seen in FIGURE 1, comprises longitudinal webs 161, 162, 163, 164 and 165 and lateral webs 166, 167, 168, and 169 all being preferably integrally molded with seat 18 so as to provide fillet junctures between associated parts. Both the longitudinal and lateral webs are substantially planar and join supporting member 12 at approximately right angles. All the longitudinal Webs are preferably equidistantly spaced from, each other with webs 161 and 165 being more closely spaced toward sides 26 and 28, respectively. All lateral webs are preferably equidistantly spaced from each other with web 169 being more closely spaced to end'32. Only one-half of substructure 160 is illustrated in FIGURE 1 as seat 10 is symmetrical about the horizontal center line of web 166.

With continued reference to FIGURE 1, webs 161 and 165 are of approximately uniform height dimension between end 32 and web 168 and progressively increased in height dimension between webs 168 and 166, a greater increase existing between webs 167 and 166. Webs 162 and 164 are of uniform height dimension between end 32 and web 169, and progressively increase in height dimension between webs 169 and 166, a greater increase existing between webs 168 and 166. Web 163 is of a uniform height dimension between end 32 and web 169, and between point 170 and web 166, and uniformly increased-in height dimension between web 169 and point 170.

Webs 166, 167 and. 168 increase in height dimension immediately adjacent sides 26 and 28 to form fillet junctures therewith and also vary in height dimension as required to remain in contiguous relation with the concave under side of supporting member 12 between sides 26 and 28.

Web 169-, illustrated in detail in FIGURE 2, consists of a single member 171 between webs 162 and 164 and spaced double members 172 and 173 between webs 162 and 161, and 164 and 165, respectively. Members 172 and 173 join webs 161 and 165, respectively, at concave transition sections174, (FIGURE 2) designed to accommodate a nut-fastenedsupport bracket, as hereinafter explained.

Seat 10v is also provided with thickened boss portions 176 for attaching seat 10 to play equipment by means of support brackets so as to prevent failure in shear under normal concentrated loads caused by the attaching members of the play equipment which pass through cross sectionally elongated apertures 178 to support seat 10. Thickened' bosses 176 are preferably molded to the underside of supporting member 12 between the sides 26 and 28 and transition sections 174 of substructure reinforcement 160. FIGURES 2-and 3 illustrate the nature of thickened bosses 176 in plan view and along the major dimension thereof, respectively. While these bosses are corner located in the preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that they may be otherwise located, for example along a transverse center line of the seat, if the seat were to be used as. a bolt and nut attached seat for the conventional and widely used Sky-Skooter glider swing found in most present-day play type swing seats or seesaws.

Thickened bosses 176 and elongated apertures 178, in conjunction with members 173 and transition sections 174 make seat 10 adaptable for use with either conventional nut-fastened threaded support brackets 180 or novel one-piece support brackets 182, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. When bracket 182 is used, s-top 181, FIGURES 2 and 3, provides additional bearing strength to support the terminal ends of bracket 182, thereby minimizing the probability of shear failure.

The preferred embodiment of bracket 182 is independently illustrated in FIGURE 5, being symmetrical about the shown vertical center-line and comprises a onepiece metal rod bent to provide inwardly hooked seat receiving and supporting end sections 183 and 184 which lie in a common plane, parallel sections 185 and 186 and convergent sections 187 and 188. Convergent sections 187 and 188 join at point 189 to form a play equipment connection. Sections 185, 186, 187 and 188 lie in a common plane with the inwardly hooked ends 183 and 184.

FIGURE 4 illustrates the novel method of assembling seat 10 and bracket 182 to play equipment having equipment attachments 190. As shown, end 183 of bracket 182 is inserted into aperture 178 from the top of seat 10 from a location adjacent side 26 and end 30; bracket 182 is positioned so that section 187 is adjacent aperture 178 and play equipment attachment 1911 is placed over end 184; bracket 182 is horizontally pivoted so that end 184 is adjacent aperture 178a and connection 189 is adjacent aperture 178; end 184 is inserted through aperture 17 8:1 by vertically rotating bracket 182 counterclockwise as viewed in FIGURE 40; and bracket 182 is then pulled upward to bring ends 183 and 184 into abutting relation with bosses 178 and stops 181 (FIGURE 3), with sections 185 and 186 preferably biased outwardly against the exterior-most portions of apertures 178a. Attachment 190 will assume a position at curved connection 189 when seat 10 is positioned for use. This same procedure is used to unite a second bracket with a second play equipment attachment and with seat 10 adjacent end 32.

The manipulative steps of the above-described method of assembly may be followed only when certain pre-' determined comparative dimensions are present with re spect to seat 10 and bracket 182. With reference to FIG- URES 3 and 5 the distance (a) between the point on curved connection 189 and the point at the terminal of either end 183 or 184 which are most closely spaced from one another must be less than the distance (y) between the most remotely spaced points of aperture 178 and aperture 178a and on the order of the distance (z) between the most closely spaced points of aperture 178 and aperture 178a. Curved connection 189 and ends 183 and 184 must be proportioned with respect to the aperture major cross-sectional dimension (x) and aperture depth dimension (w) to permit translation through apertures 178 and 17811 respectively in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 4C and D. Distance (d) between the point on curved connection 189 and the point on the inwardly bent portion between either end 183 and section 185 or end 184 and section 186 which are most remotely spaced from one another must be on the order of distance (y) and greater than distance (z). Distance (g) between the point on the bent segment between sections 186 and 188, or 185 and 187 and the point on the inwardly bent segment between end 183 and section 185, or end 184 and section 186, respectively, which are most remotely spaced from one another must be on the order of distance (y).

It may also be desirable, though not critical, to have distance (11) equal to or slightly greater than distance (y) and distance (i) equal to or slightly greater than distance (v) to secure the assembly in fixed corresponding non-tilt relationship and to provide sufficient load bearing capacity, respectively.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restric tive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing decsription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range 178 and of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired Patent is:

ii. In combination for use with a play equipment set, comprising suspension means terminating at its lower end in an equipment attachment means; a seat having laterially paired bracket receiving through-bores therein terminating at the seat undersurface in transversely elongated downwardly opening groove means; and a non-tilt support bracket for said seat comprising a one-piece metal rod bent intermediate its ends to form a body portion having outwardly divergent runs joined at their adjacent ends by a curved segment to be received in said equipment attachment means and formed at their divergent ends with an arcuate transition portion dependently carrying inwardly bent hook formations each adapted to be inserted through one of said seat through-bores and to have each inwardly bent hook formation disposed in the open groove means associated with the respective one of said seat through-bores to stablize said swing seat and said support bracket in their assembled positions.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein:

(a) the distance between the point on said curved seg ment and the point at the terminal on at least one of said ends which are most closely spaced from one another is on the order of the distance between the most closely spaced points of said paired throughbores, and less than the distance between the most remotely spaced points of said paired through-bores;

(b) said curved segment is proportioned with respect to the cross sectional and depth dimensions of said through-bores to permit translation of said curved segment within either of said through-bores;

(c) the distance between the point on said curved segment and the point on at least one of said inwardly bent hook formation which are most remotely spaced from one another is on the order of the distance between the most remotely spaced points of said paired through-bores, and the distance between the point on said curved segment and the point on said one inwardly bent hook formation which are most closely spaced from one another is greater than the distance between the most closely spaced points of said paired through-bores; and

(d) each said inwardly bent formation and terminal construction are so proportioned with respect to the cross sectional and depth dimensions of said throughbores to permit translation of said inwardly bent hook formation and terminal construction within one of said through-bores when said curved segment is being translated through the other of said through bores; and

(e) the distance between the point on said arcuate transition portion of one end and the point on the inwardly bent hook formation of the other end which are most remotely spaced from one another is on the order of the distance between the farthermost portions of said through-bores.

3. A method of assembling a shaped metal rod support bracket having first and second seat receiving and supporting ends and play equipment connection means, with a seat having spaced apertures and to play equipment attachment means comprising the steps of:

(a) inserting said first receiving end into the top of one of said apertures;

(b) moving said bracket through said aperture to posito be secured by Letters tion its portion intermediate said first and second receiving ends near said one aperture;

(c) connecting said play equipment attachment means to said bracket;

(d) pivoting said bracket in said one aperture to position said play equipment connection means adjacent said one aperture and said second receiving end adjacent the top of said other aperture;

(e) inserting said second receiving end through said other aperture by translating said bracket toward said other aperture from said one aperture; and

(f) bodily translating said bracket relative to said seat to position said receiving ends in contiguous engagement with the underside of said seat.

4. In combination, for use with a play equipment set including equipment attachment means, a seat, and a pair of support brackets for connecting said seat to said equipment attachment means, said seat having means providing a pair of laterally spaced and laterally elongated apertures therethrough for each said support bracket, said apertures being coplanar and laterally elongated transversely of the seat in the same plane to provide innermost and outermost edges, each of said support brackets comprising a self-fastening one-piece deformed metal rod having a pair of seat receiving and supporting end sections bent to lie substantially coaxiaily and facing each other in a plane containing the remainder of said rod, the length of said seat receiving and supporting end sections being substantially longer than the longer dimension of said elongated apertures whereby said seat receiving and sup porting end sections of each bracket underlie the seat to support it, said seat receiving and supporting end sections terminating in parallel bracket sections extending through said apertures adjacent the said outermost edges of said apertures, said parallel bracket sections extending above the top of said seat and terminating in convergent sections meeting substantially intermediate the ends of the bracket to form a connection for receiving the equipment attachment means.

5. In combination, for use with a play equipment set including equipment attachment means, an elongated seat, and a pair of support brackets for connecting said seat to said equipment attachment means, said seat having a pair of laterally spaced apertures therethrough for each support bracket, each of said support brackets comprising a self-fastening one-piece deformed metal rod having a pair of seat receiving and supporting end sections bent to lie substantially coaxially in a plane containing the remainder of the rod, said apertures each having at least one dimension substantially greater than the diameter of said rod, the length of said seat receiving and supporting end sections being substantially longer than the maximum dimension of said apertures whereby said seat receiving and supporting end sections of each bracket underlie the seat to support it, said seat receiving and supporting end sections terminating in upwardly directed bracket sections extending through said apertures, said upwardly directed bracket sections including converging sections meeting substantially intermediate the ends of the bracket to form a connection for receiving the equipment attachment means.

RICHARD C, PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. F, B. LEONARD, Assistant Examiner. 

3. A METHOD OF ASSEMBLING A SHAPED METAL ROD SUPPORT BRACKET HAVING FIRST AND SECOND SEAT RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING ENDS AND PLAY EQUIPMENT CONNECTION MEANS, WITH A SEAT HAVING SPACED APERTURES AND TO PLAY EQUIPMENT ATTACHMENT MEANS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) INSERTING SAID FIRST RECEIVING END INTO THE TOP OF ONE OF SAID APERTURES; (B) MOVING SAID BRACKET THROUGH SAID APERTURE TO POSITION ITS PORTION INTERMEDIATE SAID FIRST AND SECOND RECEIVING ENDS NEAR SAID ONE APERTURE; (C) CONNECTING SAID PLAY EQUIPMENT ATTACHMENT MEANS TO SAID BRACKET; (D) PIVOTING SAID BRACKET IN SAID ONE APERTURE TO POSITION SAID PLAY EQUIPMENT CONNECTION MEANS ADJACENT SAID ONE APERTURE AND SAID SECOND RECEIVING END ADJACENT THE TOP OF SAID OTHER APERTURE; (E) INSERTING SAID SECOND RECEIVING END THROUGH SAID OTHER APERTURE BY TRANSLATING SAID BRACKET TOWARD SAID OTHER APERTURE FROM SAID ONE APERTURE; AND (F) BODILY TRANSLATING SAID BRACKET RELATIVE TO SAID SEAT TO POSITION SAID RECEIVING ENDS IN CONTIGUOUS ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID SEAT.
 5. IN COMBINATION, FOR USE WITH A PLAY EQUIPMENT SET INCLUDING EQUIPMENT ATTACHMENT MEANS, AN ELONGATED SEAT, AND A PAIR OF SUPPORT BRACKETS FOR CONNECTING SAID SEAT TO SAID EQUIPMENT ATTACHMENT MEANS, SAID SEAT HAVING A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED APERTURES THERETHROUGH FOR EACH SUPPORT BRACKET, EACH OF SAID SUPPORT BRACKETS COMPRISING A SELF-FASTENING ONE-PIECE DEFORMED METAL ROD HAVING A PAIR OF SEAT RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING END SECITONS BENT TO LIE SUBSTANTIALLY COAXIALLY IN A PLANE CONTAINING THE REMAINDER OF THE ROD, SAID APERTURES EACH HAVING AT LEAST ONE DIMENSION SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID ROD, THE LENGTH OF SAID SEAT RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING END SECTIONS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LONGER THAN THE MAXIMUM DIMENSION OF SAID APERTURES WHEREBY SAID SEAT RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING END SECTIONS OF EACH BRACKET UNDERLIE THE SEAT TO SUPPORT IT, SAID SEAT RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING END SECTIONS TERMINATING IN UPWARDLY DIRECTED BRACKET SECTIONS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURES, SAID UPWARDLY DIRECTED BRACKET SECTIONS INCLUDING CONVERGING SECTIONS MEETING SUBSTANTIALLY INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE BRACKET TO FORM A CONNECTION FOR RECEIVING THE EQUIPMENT ATTACHMENT MEANS. 